Myst
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Top publishers snubbed Myst DS
Sometimes, we really wish that we could be flies on the walls of game company offices. Maybe we're just huge nerds (actually, that's a fact), but still, we'd love to hear the reasoning behind some of the business decisions made -- just because we're curious when it comes to those types of things.Every so often, though, we get a little insight into the industry. Most recently, MTV Multiplayer learned some things about Myst DS from it's license owner, Manny Granillo, regarding why the game was turned down by many of the "top publishers." Granillo doesn't mention which companies refused to publish the title for Nintendo's handheld, but he divulged the reasons they gave. Gallery: Myst
Candace Savino05.08.2008
The father of Myst weighs in on the closure of URU
Rand Miller is probably one of the most influential game designers you've probably never heard of. He, along with his brother, co-founded the company Cyan Worlds. Cyan is the developer of the title Myst and subsequent titles in that series. With 12 million copies sold to date, the simple (but beautiful) point-and-click adventure game has impacted the public perception of videogames to an unprecedented degree. As you might imagine, Mr. Miller had a few things to say about the closure of the online version of Myst, URU Live.The game ended its run earlier this week, with a touching farewell given by the Restoration Engineers. Julian Murdoch, of the Gamers with Jobs website, had a chance to chat with Mr. Miller to get his reaction on URU's closure. What resulted is a twenty minute conversation that touched on GameTap's decision to close the service, Miller's hopes for the MMO genre, and what the talented designer plans to do next with his life. If you're still looking for some closure about the closure, this is some of the best you're likely to get.
Michael Zenke04.11.2008
The Restoration Engineers say goodbye to Uru Live
It's official: Myst Online: Uru Live is dead. It was a complex, beautiful world and those who had the opportunity to experience it have come away all the richer. This blogger didn't, but has always been a fan of the Cyan Worlds aesthetic, and regrets not jumping into it when the opportunity arose.As a final farewell to its explorers, the Restoration Engineers (Uru Live's version of Greeters) have recorded their thoughts on what it was like to work for the community every day, and how much fun the whole thing was. When it came time to say goodbye, one of them was obviously too moved to say more than 'thank you', and that was enough. Here's hoping that the creative minds behind it all find something new to put their hands to -- in a world filled with knockoffs and retreads, the universe of Myst was a true original.
Akela Talamasca04.10.2008
Joystiq hands-on: Myst (DS)
Fifteen years after the original Myst released for home computers, it's hard to remember what an incredible phenomenon the game had been. The adventure genre had been reshaped by the innovative use of a first-person view, and many had rushed out to purchase cutting-edge "CD-ROM drives." With millions of copies sold, it still stands as the best selling PC adventure game of all time.But what was behind the frenzy? Empire Interactive wants DS owners to find out later this month (PSP owners will have to wait a few more months for their port). The entire game is controlled through the touch screen, an obvious design decision considering the hardware's capabilities. Point and click now becomes point and touch -- however, expect to have a bit more difficulty with the handheld version. When using the mouse on the PC, players knew what they can click on by the shape of their cursor. There is no on-screen representation of your stylus, so players will have to simply use their intuition to click on the appropriate items.There are a few new tools for players to use, however. There's a clever magnifying glass, which allows players to zoom in on objects in the game world. You can even take snapshots of your screen and save them, recalling them for use during a particularly tricky puzzle. There's a map as well, but it won't indicate where you are. Finally, you can save notes, typed via virtual keyboard (no handwriting recognition, sorry). These additional tools should make navigating the game's tricky puzzles a bit less daunting.%Gallery-19889%
Andrew Yoon04.05.2008
Follow the progress of the Myst movie
If more game-to-film projects got their start like this, we might end up seeing a few of them. Two filmmakers and Myst nuts, Patrick A. McIntire and Adrian Vanderbosch, set out to make a film based on the game series. Without so much as the rights they began work, eventually winning the endorsement of Cyan Worlds, the company behind the Myst games.Now, they're trying to get some interest for the project with their production blog and website, which you can poke through to find a few different details and hints about the kind of film they'd like to make. The whole shebang is in the early stages, but just looking at the site and the blog, we're encouraged. Even if it doesn't get off the ground, it seems their hearts are in the right place.
Justin McElroy03.14.2008
Fresh footage of Myst shows what Myst does best
Following up our conference call with one of the producers for Myst DS, the PR firm handling the game has dished out a new trailer. Within, you will find what every Myst fan loves about the franchise: Myst-like stuff. There's a look at traversing the environments, working some puzzles and more traversing the environments. It's pretty much everything the Myst lover, uh ... loves. So, check it out and tell us what you think!Note: To see the video in proper resolution (you know, not all stretched), you're going to have to click through and watch it at YouTube. There will be a small format button in the bottom right (the second from right). That's what you'll want to click.%Gallery-14660%
David Hinkle02.07.2008
GameTap turning off Myst Online in 60 days
A little over a year after being reborn on GameTap, Myst Online: Uru Live will be unplugged. GameTap's VP of Content and Creative Director Ricardo Sanchez writes on the GameTap forums that the decision was made for "business reasons" rather than any design or vision issues with developer Cyan Worlds. The game will remain live for another 60 days and then it's over, but MystOnline.com will stay active.Sanchez went on to say that GameTap looked at a "wide variety of possibilities for maintaining the game," and in a later forum post writes the company "isn't a bunch of evil corporate types who do nothing but count pennies and wear Brooks Brothers suits." Taking a sip from the "glass is half-full" perspective: At least GameTap gave Myst Online a chance for a year.[Thanks to all who sent this in]
Alexander Sliwinski02.04.2008
Myst producer talks about PC-to-DS adaptation, possible sequel
We just got through a lengthy conference call with the producer for the upcoming PC-to-DS title Myst, Manny Granillo. He had quite a bit of information for us regarding the game and its extra pack-in, The Rime Age. So, be sure to strap in and head past the break for some of that delicious knowledge. But first, head into our gallery below for some fresh screens.%Gallery-14660%
David Hinkle01.31.2008
The solution to the puzzle of seeing Myst screens: click here
When we received a stash of screens and fact sheet via our inbox today for upcoming PC-to-DS game Myst, we hardly believed our eyes. Surely, like navigating the game's island, finding any kind of substantial information on the game would require some kind of incredibly difficult task, proving our brain is as smooth as a baby's bottom. Luckily, our contact has helped us get a head start on the whole thing, providing us with a look into each of the game's ages. So, take a stroll through our gallery below and take a look at the world of Myst.%Gallery-14660%
David Hinkle01.25.2008
Myst DS landing in US this March
Fans of point-and-click classic Myst will have a chance to relive the experience this March, when publisher Empire Interactive brings a DS adaptation of the title to the US. Myst DS has been out in Europe since last Fall, but this will mark the title's debut in the States.A tad more than just a straight port, the DS version of Myst features remastered video, a bonus area previously available in the realMyst remake, and touch-screen features such as note-taking and shortcut icons. The game will also feature the ability to take snapshots of certain screens for later reference, hopefully cutting down on all the tedious backtracking and rote memorization made so popular by the groundbreaking PC game. It seems that developer Hoplite Research put a lot of thought into this adaptation, making it a tempting buy for anyone who actually enjoyed the original.
Scott Jon Siegel01.17.2008
DS releases for the week of December 3rd
Fans of rhythm and fighting (righting?) might want to cast their eyes toward the release of Draglade this week, but the real excitement (at least, to us) is everything releasing outside the U.S. Well, maybe not everything, but there are certainly some interesting titles to consider, including Arkanoid in Japan and Myst in Europe. Alvin and the Chipmunks American Girl: Julie Finds a Way Draglade The Golden Compass Left Brain Right Brain Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008
Alisha Karabinus12.03.2007
Damion Schubert seeks a different kind of grind
MMO developers and publishers try to provide game-play that keeps you coming back again and again so you won't stop their money flow by canceling your subscription. The easiest way for them to do this is to make their games an addictive grind. You feel compelled to level up. You can't help yourself.Just because something's addictive, though, doesn't mean it's fun. But is there another way? Damion Schubert (of Meridian 59 and Ultima Online fame, and one of a certain blogger's personal heroes) posed that question on his Zen of Design blog. MMOs must be centered around highly repeatable activities, Schubert said. Combat, for example, works well because developers can put in a lot of changeable variables to make the experience different every time. On the other hand, he uses puzzle/mystery games like Myst as examples of games not based on a repeatable activity. Once a puzzle is solved, it's solved, and that's the end of it. So, if not that, then what? What other games have mechanics that can be used as a model for MMO game-play that sticks?That discussion is going on right now at Zen of Design.
Samuel Axon11.29.2007
DS Daily: Myst opportunities
With a new version of Myst on the way to a hugely popular game system, we may see a repeat of the Myst mania that swept the world upon the game's first release, killing the rest of the point-and-click adventure genre. We must admit that, even though we were eyeball-deep in PC adventure games at the time, we just didn't get Myst. It was a very pretty game, sure, and it made clever use of those crazy CD-ROM drives that people were hooking up, but it seemed very much like a game in which everything was perfectly still all the time, and nothing ever happened.Statistically, most people here probably have a copy of the game somewhere, so we'll assume you're familiar with it. Do you think Myst was a good game in 1993, and do you think it could hold up today? Will you go in for the new content in Myst DS?
JC Fletcher11.28.2007
Myst DS gets release window
We haven't seen anything on the game since September, sadly, but finally we know when we'll be able to get the final product in our hand (the other hand will undoubtedly be slapping our head as we stupidly try to solve the game's puzzles). Empire Interactive has just signed on to publish Myst DS, agreeing to bring it to North America during Q1 of 2008.Any adventure fans plan on giving this game a play once it hits the DS?
David Hinkle11.27.2007
The Escapist wants you to consider Myst Online
Storytelling in massively multiplayer games usually occurs only in footnotes. You might read a lore item's description here, get a hint in the quest text there, but it's almost always an ancillary part of the experience. In the olden days of text MUDs, that wasn't necessarily the case. In some MUDs, players and wizards engaged in communal storytelling, as in the best pen-and-paper roleplaying sessions.If you look at today's mainstream online games, it seems as if that art has been lost. There are some smaller communities out there that still herald that kind of experience, though. The Escapist focused on one of those in an article titled "The Ending Has Not Yet Been Written." It's an excellent piece about how players and developers alike have fostered a unique, niche-storytelling experience in Cyan Worlds' Myst Online: Uru Live.Myst has always been an eccentric in the gaming world. It was a groundbreaking success for computer games, and it spawned countless clones, but no one ever recaptured its magic. Now the series is treading a unique path in the online world, despite past setbacks.
Samuel Axon11.06.2007Shaky cam Myst DS footage
If shaky cam videos are your thing, then today is going to feel like your birthday. While at Leipzig, one lucky attendee busted out his cam and shot some footage of Myst DS. It's not a particularly long video, sadly, but does give us a glimpse at some of the environments and different interactions available to the player.[Thanks, Tom!]
David Hinkle09.05.2007
Myst dev: Myst is 'essential adventure companion' for DS
Manny Granillo, executive producer of the DS Myst remake, spoke to 4cr reader Spence about the changes being made to the classic adventure. We're still shocked that there are changes and additions being made. Not what we expected from a Myst port.They're taking advantage of the interface by adding a note pad and a camera tool, to allow players to remember clues. Granillo also agreed with (but avoided directly discussing) the utility of turning the DS sideways to read the materials in the library.With these refinements and the new Age, Myst on the DS may turn out to be the definitive version. For our money, though, the best thing about a portable Myst is that it leaves your TV and computer unoccupied, so you can play a game while it's on.[Via 4cr]
JC Fletcher07.27.2007
Myst coming to the DS
The Myst franchise is either great or incredibly boring, depending on who to talk to on the subject (we've enjoyed every Myst game we've played, to tell the truth). But, regardless of that, there are plenty of reasons why the franchise has been around for so long. It practically invented a gaming genre.And while we'd like to say that Myst on the DS is going to be a brand new game, instead Midway is looking to bring the game that started it all to Nintendo's handheld platform. No worries though, as the game's code has been re-written, specifically with the DS in mind. New sound clips, new touch-screen controls and a new age to explore (the Rime Age) should help ensure both fans of the series and newcomers find something to enjoy come time for the game's release this November in Europe.
David Hinkle06.07.2007
GameTap's Myst Online: URU Live available on Mac OS X
GameTap announced today that the Mac OS X port of Myst Online: URU Live -- built using Transgaming's Cider technology -- is available for download. Rand Miller, CEO of Cyan Worlds and creator of Myst Online, offered this heartfelt sentiment: "Many of the original Myst fans were Mac users, so for GameTap to reopen the door to this audience really means a lot to Cyan on a personal level."Though we're sure there's lots of hugging going on in the Cyan Worlds offices this morning, we're just excited to test the Cider-built version and see how it compares to the existing PC client. A reminder: while your $10 monthly GameTap subscription buys you full access to the GameTap service, Mac users should know that Myst Online is the only GameTap offering that will work natively on your computer. Our recommendation for Intel Mac users: play URU Live natively, Boot Camp the rest.Already a GameTap subscriber and want to take the Mac version of URU Live online for a spin? Head on over to this login page, enter your GameTap login information and get downloading!
Christopher Grant03.20.2007Mac OS X port, as well as new world, added to Myst Online
As one of the most captivating, if not vastly underrated, titles of last year, any news from the Ages of Uru is good news. GameTap has announced that not only will their MMO adventure, Myst Online be receiving an entirely new world to explore, but a new platform on the Mac.As GameTap is not yet (will not ever be?) available for the Mac, TransGaming Inc. will be in charge of porting the title over (using their Cider product we presume). With not so much as an estimated time for this release, Mac users will be left sitting on their hands until further information is revealed ... or discovered in a mysterious book. Those in the nether realm of the PC, however, will have new content to enjoy as soon as tomorrow with the release of the Great Zero area to explore. With a brand new platform of users to engage and a continued push of content, Uru sure has come a long way from the days of Ubisoft's waffling. If Mac gamers are really dedicated (and/or impatient), there's always Boot Camp to get your GameTap fix.
Jared Rea01.18.2007